Reeling machine for cables



7 Sept. 16, 1930.

c. F. VAN HOOK 1,775,707

REELING MACHINE FOR CABLES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1928 INVENTOR {9T mam/5600K "60% 3751M F b ATTORNEY mm. m, 1930.

C. F. VAN HOOK REELING MACHINE FOR CABLES Filed Aug. 25, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 'ept. 1, 1930. c. F. VAN HOOK REELING MACHINE FOR CABLES Filed Aug. 25, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 wmsw 72 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. VAN HOOK, OI PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE WATSON HA- CHINE COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0] NEW JERSEY REELING MACHINE FOR CABLES I Application filed August 25, 1928. Serial 110. 802,082.

This invention relates to reeling machines for cables and has for its object to provide a .machine of the class specified, simple in construction and wherein means are provided for the reception and discharge of reelswithout theluse of extraneous tackle for hoisting the rec To these and other ends which will appear hereinafter, my improvements comprise features which are illustrated in what is at present their preferred form, in the drawings accompanying this s ecification wherein Figure 1 is a p an view of my im roved machine and Fig. 2 is front elevation t ereof.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional end elevation on line 3, 3 of Fig. 1, looking from right hand of said figure and showing the machine adjusted for the reception of a reel. Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation similar to that of Fig. 3, showing the machine with a reel mounted therein, ready for the reception of cable thereon. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing more in detail the construction of one of the boxes for the reel shaft. Fig. 6 is a sectional end elevation on line 6, 6 of Fig. 1 looking from the left hand of said figure. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the mechanism for raising and lowerin the reel on its shaft, looking from the rig t hand of Fig. 1. The scale of Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 is equal while the scale of Figs. 5 and 7 is about twice that of the other figures. v

The present machine is particularly useful in the wire rope and electrlc cable industries, wherein the reels on which the rope and cables are wound are large and clumsy and when wound with rope or cable are very heavy. Heretofore it has been necessary to use stout tackle carried on overhead runways to lift the reels into and out of the machine. This required the work of several men. By my improved machine an empty reel may be put into the machine and a full reel removed therefrom by one man and in less time than heretofore.

My improved machine preferably includes opposite end frames 2, 4 having feet to stand on the floor. In these frames rock-shaft 5 has bearings and remote therefrom and lower down in said frames, opposite upreaching arms 7, 8 are pivoted on shafts 9, 10 respectively. Said arms at their upper ends are provided with bearings as 11 for reel shaft 12. Bearing llhas a removable ca 13, preferably hinged at 14 to said arm and aving latch 15 for securin said cap in its closed position. Fixed to roc -shaft 5 are opposite cranks 16, 17 the outer ends of which are connected with the outer ends of arms 7, 8 by links 18, 19 respectively. Crank 16 takes the form of a segment worm gear whose teeth 20 mesh with worm 21 rotatably mounted in housing 22 of frame 2. At the upper end of said housing worm gear 23 is fixed to shaft 24 of worm 21. This worm-gear 23 is in turn engaged by worm 25, whose shaft 26 has bearings in an extension of housing 22. To the outer end of shaft 26 is fixed sprocket 27 connected to a similar sprocket on the shaft of motor 28, by chain 29. To the other end of shaft 26 is fixed handwheel 44 whereby worm 25 may be rotated and the mechanism thus operated by hand.

Short shaft 10 on which the lower end of arm 8 is pivoted has fixed thereto pinion 30 which meshes'with intermediate gear 31, pivoted on arm 8, and which in turn ,meshes with large gear 32 fixed to reel shaft 12. To that end of shaft 10 opposite pinion 30, is fixed friction drive drum 33 of known character and said friction drum has fixed there to sprocket 34 which may be rotated from some source of power not shown but which may be connected Withthe cable laying machine. By this means and through gears 30,

'31, 32 shaft 12 is rotated. Large gear 32 ends of bearing 11 to prevent endwise movement of shaft 12.

The usual traverse device for guiding the rope or cable onto the reel is mounted on brackets at the rear of frames 2, 4 and may comprise a traverse screw 41, to which is fixed gear 43 meshing with gear 48 fixed to shaft 46. Guide carriage 42 engages traverse screw 41 and is supported in traverse by shaft 46. Power is applied from some known source to pulley 45.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: By means of handwheel 44 or by means of a suitable switch, power is applied to motor 28 and through the double set of worm and gear drive, toothed crank 16 is rotated in anti-clockwise direction from the position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 3 whereby arms 7, 8 are lowered. Bearing caps 13 are then unlatched and lifted and reel shaft 12, with large gear 32 fixed near one end thereof and sleeve 38 removably fixed near the other end thereof, is lifted out of its bearings in arms 7 8. Then sleeve 38 is unlocked and removed from shaft 12, and said shaft is thrust through the axial hole in a reel, sleeve 38 is replaced and the reel with shaft 12 therein is rolled into position between arms 7, 8 and shaft 12 seated in bearings 11 in the ends of said arms respectively. Bearing caps 13 are then closed and locked, the motor is reversed and arms 7, 8 are swung upwardly to the position of Fig. 4, when the machine is ready to start winding rope or cable onto the reel. When the reel is filled, shaft 5 is again rotated in anti-clockwise direction and the reel is lowered to the floor and discharged from the machine.

By the peculiar arrangement of gears 30, 31, 32, the first of which is coaxial with the pivots of arms 7, 8 and the last of which is coaxial with the reel shaft, driving connection is maintained at all positions of the reel relative to the floor. Thus for small reels, arms 7, 8 may stand nearly as shown in Fig. 3 while the machine is in operation, while for large reels said arms will be swung up as shown in Fig. 4 to lift the reel free of the floor.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly-supporting a reel, opposite arms mount- 1 ed for oscillation on a common fixed axis,

means at the ends of said arms, opposite said axis, for revolubly supporting said shaft and means for oscillating said arms in unison for raising and lowering said shaft.

2. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, opposite arms mounted for oscillation on a common fixed axis, means at the ends of said arms, opposite said axis, for revolubly supporting said shaft, a shaft parallel with the axis of said arms,

mounted for oscillation in fixed bearing, opposite cranks fixed to said shaft, means operatively connecting said arms and sa1d cranks and means for oscillating said parallel shaft.

3. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly suppprting a reel, oscillatable ,means for revolu 1y supporting said shaft, a shaft parallel with the axis of oscillation of said means for supporting said reel shaft, a crank fixed to said parallel shaft, means operatively connecting said crank with the oscillatable means for supporting the reel shaft and means for oscillating said parallel shaft.

4. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, oscillatable means for revolubly supporting said shaft, a shaft parallel with the axis of oscillation of said means for supporting said reel shaft, a crank fixed to said parallel shaft, means operatively connecting said crank with the oscillatable means for supporting the reel shaft, Worm and gear means for oscillating said parallel shaft and power actuated means for operating said worm and gear means in opposite directions.

5. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, opposite arms mounted for oscillation on a common fixed axis, bearings at the ends of said arms, opposite said axis, for revolubly supporting sa1d shaft, means for oscillating said arms in unison for raising and lowering said shaft, caps to said bearings, means for removably secur ing said caps in place, a sleeve removably fixed to said reel shaft, said sleeve being revolubly mounted in one of said bearings and means on said sleeve to prevent its endwise movement in said bearing.

6. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adpated for supporting a reel, opposite arms mounted for oscillation on a common fixed axis, means at the ends of said arms, opposite said axis, for revolubly supporting said shaft, means for oscillating said arms in unison for raising and lowering said shaft, means for rotating said shaft and means for rotating the reel from said shaft.

7. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, opposite arms mounted for oscillation on a common fixed axis, means at the ends of said arms, opposite said axis, for revolubly supporting said shaft, means for oscillating said arms in unison for raising and lowering said shaft, a gear fixed to the reel shaft and a gear coaxial with the axis of oscillation of said arms, said gears being operatively connected and means for rotating said coaxial gear.

8. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, oscillatable means for revolubly supporting said shaft, a shaft parallel with the axis of oscillation of said means for supporting said reel shaft, a crank fixed to said parallel shaft, means operativel; connecting said crank with the oscillatable means for supporting the reel shaft, means for oscillating said parallel shaft and means for rotating the reel shaft.

9. In a machine of the character described the combination of a shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, oscillatable means for revolubly supporting said shaft, a shaft parallel with the axis of oscillation of said means for supporting said reel shaft, a crank fixed to said parallel shaft, means operatively connecting said crank with the oscillatable means for supporting the reel shaft, means for oscillating said parallel shaft, a gear fixed to the reel shaft and a gear coaxial with the axis of oscillation of said arms. said gears being opcratively connected and means for rotating said coaxial gear.

10. In a machine for winding cable upon reels, a. shaft adapted for revolubly supporting a reel, a support, a pair of arms pivotally mounted on said support, means at the ends of said arms for detachably and revolubly mounting said shaft thereon, and means connected with the ends of the arms for oscillating the latter for raising or lowering said shaft.

In witness whereof, I hereby afiix my signature, this 24th day of August, 1928.

CHARLES F. VANHOOK. 

